At around 4,600 years old, it’s no surprise that the great Giza pyramids draw millions of tourists every year. Made up of over two million blocks, each weighing around three tonnes, and without the help of sophisticated tools like in modern construction, the structures epitomise Ancient Egyptian skills in astronomy, mathematics, logistics, and engineering.
However, hidden away in West Java, Indonesia, lies a discovery that is even more spectacular than the pyramids in Egypt, one that is some 22,000 years older. What’s more, this pyramid, hidden beneath the rolling hills of the province, is reshaping our understanding of ancient history. This site is known to the local Sundanese people as Gunung Padang, or “mountain of enlightenment”.
Long before the rise of agriculture or any known civilisation, our ancestors constructed this incredible megalithic marvel. Gunung Padang has always been cherished by local Indonesians, who describe it as a “punden berundak”, or stepped pyramid.
The terraces, which lead to its peak, suggested a sophisticated level of engineering beneath the surface.
However, archaeologists have only recently begun to unravel the ancient site’s true nature and historical importance. Radiocarbon dating techniques have placed the initial stages of the site’s construction within the last glacial period, with some estimates dating back as much as 27,000 years.
This would make Gunung Padang substantially older than Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, which is currently recognised as the world’s oldest megalithic structure.
Keen to discover what lies beneath the surface of Gunung Padang, between 2011 and 2015, researchers, including geologist Danny Hilman Natawidjaja from Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, employed methods including core drilling, ground-penetrating radars and subsurface imaging to explore the site.
They discovered that the pyramid was built in intricate stages. The oldest section, about 98ft below the surface, likely dates between 25,000 and 14,000 BC. The site was then abandoned for several millennia, before construction recommenced around 7900 to 6100 BC.
The last known phase of Gunung Padang’s construction occurred between 2000 and 1100 BC when builders added the final layers of topsoil and stone terraces that we see today.
The researchers concluded that the builders of several units at Gunung Padang must have boasted impressive masonry capabilities, which challenge the conventional view that prehistoric societies were simple hunter-gatherers.
However, there is more to be discovered. Seismic studies have revealed the presence of chambers and cavities inside the pyramid, which extend up to 49 feet in length, with ceilings reaching an impressive 33 feet high. A research team plans to drill into these areas and lower cameras into these chambers to expose what has remained hidden for thousands of years.
